Improved elevator for buildings



J. S. BALDWIN. Elevator for Buildings.

' Patented Oct. 20, 1868.

QIQIIIIIIIIH "I JAMES S. BALDWIN, OF

strut i159.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

Lam Patent No. 83,237, dated 00mm 20, 1868.

IMPROVED ELEVATOR FOR BUILDING-3.,

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. BALDWIN, of the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improved Elevator for transporting passengers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and suiiicient description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification. I

My invention consists of one or more platforms, sliding oIi vertical or inclined ways, and suitable machinery for imparting to and maintaining in said platform or platforms at constant and automatic reciprocatin g motion between two or more floors of a building.

The combination of one or more movable platforms, running in vertical or inclined slides, and an automatic motor, is not new. It has been used, to a limited extent, in mines for many years. Neither is'the combination of a-building and one or more platforms, moving in vertical or inclined ways, new. But I regard as novel the threefold combination of building, elevator, and automatic motor, and I have been the first to. demonstrate its practicability, by the construction of an experimental machine on a large scale. With this machine, I have shown, by practical tests, that infirm persons, and even cripples, may pass between the several floors of a building unattended, and with ease and safety, although, until the reverse was demonstrated by my machine, no elevator was considered safe or practicable for use in buildings unless it was under the constant supervision of an attendant who had constantly within his reach the means of stopping it or reversing its motion.

Figure I represents the simplest form of the apparatus.

A A, B B are the floors, between which the elevator 0 runs. S S is the slide. The elevator is hung, by the rope DD, over the pulley E. D is attached to the crank-pin G. H is a large spur-wheel, attached to the .same shaft with the crank F. .11 receives a steady and constant motion from the pinion I, attached to the engine, or other motive-power. I

It is apparent that a constant rotation of the pinion will impart, through the spur-wheel, crank, and rope, a constant reciprocating motion to the platform 0, and, as the dead or neutralpoints of the cranks motion occur when the platform is at its highest or lowest point,

and the motion of the latter is rendered very gradual,

ample time isaii'orded for passengers to step on or ofi.

By having a number of platforms in the same system as in Figure II, the motor remaining the same as in Fig. I, persons may enter and leave at several points at the same time.

necting-rod connects the crank with the elevator, instead of a cord, as in Fig. I.

Figure IV shows a cylinder, in which is a piston, which is alternately moved back and forth by the pressure of a gas or liquid, entering through the pipe J, and alternately admitted to the ends of the cylinder by a valve in the valve-chest K. This valve is operated by the lifter L, attached to the piston-rod M, which alternately strikes the pieces N N on the valvestem. As thefunctions of the several parts of this device are well known to all machinists, and as they are emneed not describe them more particularly; but in Figure V, I show a circular valve, which, in many I prefer to the ordinary flat valve above mentioned, The liquid or gas under pressure enters through the pipe J. The exhaust flows out through 0. P and Q are pipes communicating with the two ends of a cylinder, like Y in Fig. IV. X shows the unused positions of the valve, which, when substituted for K, is operated by adding the levers w 'v z. The arrows from J to P and Q to 0 show the direction of the currents to bring the piston to its present position.

A reciprocating motion being thus communicated to the piston-rod M, it is obvious that if its end T were fastened to the elevator in Fig. III at the point T, it would communicate its motion to the said elevator. When necessary, I employ cords to transmit the motion, as in Fig. I.

I regard the two plans hereinbefore described as the be used.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Let em Patent- The automatic elevator, constructed and applied as and for the purpose set forth.

' JAIVEES' S. BALDWIN. Witnesses S. A. BALDWDI, SAML BALDWIN.

Figure III shows a double elevator, in which a conployed in thousands of steam-pumps now in use, 1'

best of a large number which might, in some cases, 

